The Importance of Fully Managing First Aid Kits for Workplaces

Whether it's a paper cut or a serious incident, injuries in the workplace happen. A fully stocked and maintained office first aid kit can be the difference between getting an employee back on the job or a worker leaving the office for medical care. And in extreme cases, fully stocked first aid kits for workplaces could be the difference between a positive outcome and a tragedy.

It's not just a safety concern. It's a productivity issue considering that 58% of employees surveyed said that using supplies from the office first aid kit has allowed them to finish their workplace shift¹.

Maintaining Compliance with Office First Aid Kits

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a national public health agency dedicated to ensuring that employees don't have to choose between their life and their job. OSHA makes it clear that the right to a safe workplace is a basic human right².

OSHA provides employers with vigorous compliance assistance to promote best practices that can save lives³. To that end, OSHA requires every business to have workplace first aid kits readily available.

Additionally, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) states that employers have a responsibility to provide healthy workplaces, for both the well-being of the employees and the efficiency of the enterprises. ANSI establishes minimum performance standards for first aid kits in the workplace. Class A first aid kits are intended to provide a basic range of products to deal with most common types of injuries encountered in the workplace. Examples include major wounds, minor wounds (such as cuts and abrasions), minor burns and eye injuries⁴.

The following shows ANSI workplace first aid kit standards for a compliant Class A kit.

ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021 CLASS A Minimum Fill Recommendations

• 16 Adhesive Bandages
• 1 Adhesive Tape
• 10 Antibiotic Application
• 10 Antiseptic
• 1 Breathing Barrier
• 1 Burn Dressing
• 10 Burn Treatment
• 1 Cold Pack
• 2 Eye Covering
• 1 Eye/Skin Wash (1 fl. oz.)
• 1 First Aid Guide
• 10 Hand Sanitizer
• 2 Medical Exam Gloves (pairs)
• 1 Roller Bandage (2")
• 1 Scissors
• 2 Sterile Pad
• 2 Trauma Pad
• 1 Triangular Bandage
• 1 Foil Blanket

The Pitfalls of an Off-the-Shelf First Aid Kit for Work

But are all first aid kits built the same? Not necessarily. You can buy a common first aid kit for work at a local big box store or online. But you might be putting your employees and your OSHA/ANSI compliance and ability to meet ANSI standards at risk. The type of supplies, quality and quantity might not be compliant or adequately meet workplace first aid kit standards. There's also the very real possibility that an off-the-shelf first aid kit for work will not be properly managed, maintained or replenished.

Consider what happens when there's a workplace injury like a cut finger. Your employee or a coworker goes to the first aid kit and removes antiseptic, adhesive tape, scissors and sterile pads to treat the wound. Once the wound is treated, the employee is able to go back to work.

Now what happens when a different employee cuts their leg two weeks later? Is there enough antiseptic left in the kit? Is the tape missing? What about the scissors or sterile pads? If any of these items are missing or stock is low, your employee might not be able to effectively treat their injury and return to their work in a timely manner - if at all.

Even when a designated employee is put in charge of maintaining the office first aid kit, problems can arise. Are they always aware when something is taken out of the kit? What if they're on vacation, out of the office or leave the company? It's a time consuming and sometimes unintentionally overlooked function. The end result of missing expired or improperly stored inventory could have serious consequences.

The Benefits of Fully Managed Office First Aid Kits

Take the worry and time commitment out of maintaining first aid kit inventory and meet standards with fully managed and maintained workplace first aid kits from Vestis™.

For a flat weekly rate, a Route Sales Representative will inspect your first aid cabinet every week for items that are running low or expiring and replenish the necessary items. They'll also record every visit to log the inspection and services.

At Vestis, we offer two first aid kits for work that meet Class A standards:

First Aid Hub that Meets ANSI Class A Standards with Over-the-Counter Medications - This kit is typically used for general businesses and includes a solid steel case and contents that are organized, easily accessible and exceed ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021 Class A workplace first aid kit standards. This kit also contains over-the-counter medications.

CONTENTS:

• Adhesive Fabric Bandages, 1" x 3"
• Adhesive Plastic Bandages, 3/4" x 3"
• Alcohol Wipes
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Antiseptic Towelettes
• Burn Dressing, 4" x 4"
• Cold Pack, 4" x 5"
• CPR Face Shield with Nitrile Gloves
• Eye Pads (Sterile) with Tape
• Eye Wash
• Fingertip Fabric Bandages
• First Aid Guide
• First Aid Tape, 1/2" x 5 yd.
• First Aid/Burn Cream
• Foil Blanket
• Gauze Roll 2" x 4 yd.
• Hand Sanitizer Packets
• Nitrile Exam Gloves
• Patch Plastic Bandages, 1" x 1"
• Scissors
• Sterile Gauze Pads, 2" x 2"
• Sterile Gauze Pads, 3" x 3"
• Trauma Pads, 5" x 9"
• Triangular Bandage, 40" x 40" x 56"
• Tweezers
• Aspirin
• Non-Aspirin
• Ibuprofen

First Aid Hub that Meets ANSI Class A Standards without Medications - This first aid kit is typically used for businesses in food service and food processing as it contains blue, metal-detectable bandages that can help with food integrity and safety. The contents exceed ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021Class A workplace first aid kit standards and are organized and easily accessible in a solid steel case.

CONTENTS:

• Alcohol Wipes
• Antibiotic Ointment
• Antiseptic Towelettes
• Bandage Protectant/Finger Cots
• Blue Metal Detectable Bandages, 1" x 3"
• Burn Dressing, 4" x 4"
• Cold Pack, 4" x 5"
• CPR Mask
• Elastic Bandage Wrap, 2" x 5 yd.
• Eye Wash
• Eye Pads (Sterile) with Tape
• Fingertip Blue Metal Detectable Bandages
• First Aid Guide
• First Aid Tape, 1/2" x 5 yd.
• First Aid/Burn Cream
• Foil Blanket
• Gauze Roll, 2" x 4 yd.
• Hand Sanitizer Packets
• Knuckle Blue Metal Detectable Bandages
• Moleskin Blister Prevention, 2" x 2"
• Nitrile Exam Gloves
• Scissors
• Sterile Gauze Pads, 2" x 2"
• Sterile Gauze Pads, 3" x 3"
• Trauma Pads, 5" x 9"
• Triangular Bandage, 40" x 40" x 56"
• Tweezers

Vestis recommends a kit placed on every floor to ensure easy access. Larger facilities with many employees may want to consider multiple kits within close proximity to workstations.

Our first aid sales representatives are ready to answer any questions and provide more information on our first aid kits and service. Also ask about our AED services. Talk to us today!

Every business location is unique and our customers' needs will differ based on the specific work environment and hazards. The information provided on this website should not be used as a substitute for reviewing OSHA, ANSI or other applicable regulations/standards, performing official safety training, or conducting on-site safety analysis. It is the customer's responsibility to determine what first aid supplies are adequate and where they should be located. ANSI Class A First Aid Kits contain products that are designed to cover most common workplace injuries.

¹Study conducted by ORC International, funded by Vestis 2017. Based on qualified respondents who work outside the home in a place of business.

^{2, 3}All About OSHA, OSHA 3302-02R 2023

⁴ANSI Blog: Workplace First Aid Kits - ANSI/ISEA Z308.1-2021 - Classes, Types, and the Standard https://blog.ansi.org/?p=158166

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